Coyote hunting may aid deer herd

Deer in northern Michigan face harsh winters, high hunting pressure, and limited food sources.To ensure herd numbers stay as strong as possible, young deer need to be given the opportunity to survive their first winter.Dean Beyer, a wildlife research biologist with the Department of Natural Resources, is heading up a ...

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By Mark Spencley

Cheboygan Daily Tribune - Cheboygan, MI

By Mark Spencley

Posted Dec. 8, 2012 at 12:04 AM
Updated Dec 8, 2012 at 12:06 AM

By Mark Spencley

Posted Dec. 8, 2012 at 12:04 AM
Updated Dec 8, 2012 at 12:06 AM

Cheboygan, Mich.

Coyote hunting may aid deer herd

By MARK SPENCLEY

mark@cheboygantribune.com

CHEBOYGAN — Coyote hunting during the next few months could be very beneficial to the area deer herd.

To ensure herd numbers stay as strong as possible, young deer need to be given the opportunity to survive their first winter.

Dean Beyer, a wildlife research biologist with the Department of Natural Resources, is heading up a fawn mortality and predation study in the Upper Peninsula. From what he has seen, coyotes are an undeniable threat to the deer herd.

"As far as predation, coyotes have killed more fawns than any other predator in our study," he said.

In the three years Beyer has been running this study 142 fawns have been radio collared. Predators have killed 53 of them. Coyotes accounted for 26 kills, bobcats 13, wolves 5, bears 4, bald eagles 1, and four others couldn't be specified.

Mor than one-third of collared fawns being killed is a striking revelation.

Nearly half of those kills coming at the teeth of coyotes is an even more concerning statistic considering the rapid growth Michigan's coyote population has experienced in recent years.

"There are more coyotes around now," said Brian Mastenbrook, a Gaylord-based DNR wildlife biologist. "You can find them just about everywhere."

The reasons for the rapid uptick in coyote numbers are unclear, according to Mastenbrook. But there is no doubt they are expanding.

If coyote numbers continue to escalate, the deer herd could see significant impacts across their range.

Unlike deer, coyotes are somewhat nomadic by nature. They roam vast home ranges, meaning they can prey on vulnerable fawns over a large area.

During their first few months of life, fawns stand little to no chance when faced with a hungry coyote. If they get a chance to age, deer will learn some defense mechanisms, but early on they are easy pickings for coyotes.

Hunters are the only tools to keep coyote numbers in check. They have no natural predators in Michigan, which is probably one of the reasons they have been able to increase in numbers so dramatically.

The coyote season is liberal and the harvest limits are unlimited, giving hunters an unquestioned license to kill until the season closes on April 15.